Recovery
by CerealKillerZero
Summary: One shot. Don goes to the hospital to visit an agent injured while helping him with a case. Eventually, he does something more helpful than blaming himself.


"Sir, you really need to calm down. I'm here to help you."

"If you value your life and limbs, you will take that bed pan and _get the fuck out_!"

"Sir, I really must insist…"

"Go AWAY!" Don heard shouted from the hospital room he was approaching, followed by a loud crash. A harried looking male nurse scurried out of the room and back to the charge nurse's desk. An older woman seated there tried to hide a smile at her coworker's misfortune.

"I told you not to go in there Teddy. Those law enforcement types always make the most terrible patients." The woman replied while watching Don approach, glancing down at the badge at his belt. He gave a wry grin.

"I thought he'd be asleep by now. The doc gave him enough pain medication to knock out a baby elephant." The male nurse griped back as he smoothed out his scrubs in an attempt to regain some of his lost composure. Not very successfully, Don thought to himself, as he watched the nurse jot something on a chart before rushing off.

"Can I help you with something Officer…?" The woman behind the desk asked, eyes still dancing with amusement.

"Agent," Don corrected automatically, "Agent Eppes. I was just wondering how he was doing." He said with a nod in the direction of the room the other nurse had just escaped.

"Well, he seems alert enough to turn my staff into a quivering mess, so definitely an improvement from when he was brought in. I've already had three nurses tell me they will work an extra shift this week, as long as they don't have to check on your friend in there." The nurse relayed with amusement. Don grinned.

"Yeah. Even some of the FBI agents he works with are a little afraid of him, but I guess if he's already up to scaring people he should be out of your hair in no time then, right?" Don asked hopefully. He hadn't quite believed Colby and David when they reported on the condition of the injured agent. He stopped by the hospital hoping that the injuries had only just looked bad, but a glance at the charge nurse's rapidly sobering face made that possibility seem unlikely.

"Agent Eppes, while your friend is doing considerably better than this morning, and that is to say he is conscious and aware of his surroundings, he still has a long way to go before he can leave this hospital. With time and therapy, we are optimistic that he should eventually be able to return to work." She stated matter-of-factly. Don swallowed hard.

"Wait. Optimistic? Eventually? You mean there is a chance that he might not be able to go back into the field?!" Don asked, shocked. He glanced at the hospital room door again, feeling a little sick. The nurse nodded her head sympathetically.

"I'm afraid that is exactly what I am saying Agent Eppes. There was _extensive_ damage." Don just stared.

He didn't really know what to say to that. An agent, a friend, had been jumped by criminals that he was chasing, severely beaten, no Don thought, not beaten - tortured, and then left for dead. It was only luck and a little help from Charlie that had enabled Colby and David to find the downed agent. Now Don realized, they might have been too late after all. Imagining Agent Ian Edgerton as anything other than his cocky, gun-toting self was nearly impossible for Don. The man would go crazy if he wasn't able to do the job that he always claimed he had been born to do. Don was startled out of his musings by the charge nurse tapping his shoulder.

"I've got to go check on some other patients. I really can't tell you any more regardless, due to patient confidentiality," she said apologetically. "If you want to know more, you'll need to speak with him yourself. Visiting hours are over in thirty minutes, so be quick."

With that, she walked away, leaving Don to stand there alone. He walked towards the room Ian was in, but hesitated at the door. Would Ian even want to see him? If Don had been faster, this might not have happened. It was Don's case that got Ian into this mess to begin with. Would the other man blame him? Resent him for being whole and healthy, while Ian lay injured? Don mentally shook himself. It didn't matter, he owed it to Ian to go in and accept whatever judgment Ian chose to dish out. It was Don's fault. He steeled himself and entered.

Ian lay in the bed facing away from the door, but from the way his body tensed, Don knew his arrival had not gone undetected. Don paused in the doorway, unsure of whether or not he should say something or continue to wait for Ian to acknowledge his presence. While he waited, he took a good look up and down the injured agent.

Ian's temple had a thick gauze bandage taped to it and Don could see the slightest bit of red soaked through to the top layer. His lip was puffy and split open and below that, Don could see four finger shaped bruises circling Ian's neck. The arm closest to the door, his left, was hooked to an IV line, but otherwise appeared undamaged except for abrasions at the wrist that looked like rope burn. A sheet preventing Don from seeing any injuries lower than his waist, but the most worrying sight was Ian's right arm. It was raised up on a pillow and covered in thick plaster all of the way up to the shoulder. The fingers poking out looked swollen and red.

"You just going to stand there and hover, or what?" Ian questioned without turning to look. Don noted that his voice sounded a little ragged and idly wondered if it was a result of the angry bruising to his neck or from yelling at nurses all day. Don almost asked, then realized with a jolt that it could be from screaming early than today. His stomach turned slightly at that.

"I, uh, just wanted to come by to see how you were doing," Don began weakly, walking closer to the bed and seating himself in the chair there. Ian gave a little start then faced him.

"Fuck Eppes. I thought you were one of those stupid nurses again." Ian said, meeting his eyes. Don tried not to flinch as Ian turned his head to reveal a large black eye, almost completely swollen shut.

"No, I think you scared off the last of them for the night."

"Good." Ian said, almost petulantly. He shifted slightly in the bed to sit up and let out a hiss of pain. Don sprung forward to assist him, but stopped short when Ian flinched as Don's hands came near. Don sat back down and raised his arms away in a "backing off" gesture. Ian's eyes held a wild panic and he looked down cursing quietly. Don could almost hear Ian mentally berating himself for reacting so strongly. Suddenly Ian's harshness towards the nurses seemed a lot less humorous.

"Hey, Ian, relax. It's only been a day. You're bound to be a little bit jumpy. No one is going to think any less of you if your body takes a little bit of time to remember that you're safe." Don reassured. Ian gave him a hard look.

"Yeah right Eppes. I'm only good at my job if I'm detached. No one wants a jumpy sniper. It tends to lead to large quantities of unwanted dead bodies."

"That's true, but it isn't like you have a gun in hand right now." Don pointed out. "You can ease up a little while you get better. By the time you get back in the field, you'll be fine."

"You mean if I go back in the field," Ian muttered darkly, looking down at his arm.

"What happened to it exactly?" Don asked, dreading the answer.

"They broke it. Every bone. Or at least as many of them as they could manage. The Doc said that the elbow was the worse part…..They bent it back to snap it. After that I lost feeling in my hand. He said it's possible that I sustained permanent nerve damage." Ian said softly. He sounded lost. Don almost wished the men responsible weren't in custody. Then he could hunt them down and kill them all himself. Men like Ian weren't supposed to sound so defeated, not ever.

"Ian… I'm so sorry. I never should have put you out there alone. I…"

"Don. Don't. I always work alone. My own fault letting those stupid thugs get the drop on me. I'm better than that…." he hesitated. "At least, I was better than that." Don wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He expected Ian to blame him for the injuries. Don wished he did. It would be easier than seeing Ian like this, blaming himself.

"What am I supposed to do now, Don? The only things I've ever been good at are shooting things and drawing. And guess what? I need my hand for both." The bitter tone cut through Don like a knife. He needed to snap Ian out of this.

"So what then? You just want to give up? It's been a day, Ian. The doctor is only talking worst case, but you know what? It's better odds than you had yesterday. Trust me, Charlie's got the math to prove it." Don said fiercely. Ian glared at Don.

"You're better than this. The Ian I know is a brilliant agent and he doesn't go down without a fight. So you better snap out of this because I'm not going to let you just throw in the towel already, you got it?" Don finished passionately. Ian gave Don a measuring look. Then took Don completely by surprise by grinning widely

"Did you just call me brilliant, Eppes?" Ian asked mischievously.

"Well, I see your ego wasn't damaged in this, Edgerton." Don fired back. Ian chuckled a little and then winced.

"Don't make me laugh, Eppes. It hurts." Ian groaned. He was still smiling though, so Don wasn't too concerned. In fact, now that Ian was talking, the vaguely haunted look was gone and there was a bit more color in his face. He was looking better than when Don first walked in. Don just knew that Ian would be okay. He had to be. He did still look tired though.

"I should probably let you get some rest though, Ian. I think with as many friends as you've made here so far, you're in for a long couple of days." Don said in a chiding tone. Ian nodded slightly. Don headed for the door, but stopped as Ian called out.

"Hey Don?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For coming by and…." Ian trailed off. Don smiled warmly.

"Anytime."


End file.
